RECORDS
Thursday, February 3, 2022
The ObserVer — A3
PUBLIC SAFETY REPORT
MONDAY, JAN. 31
6:02 a.m. — A caller reported a suspicious
vehicle at Blue Springs Crossing, 10801 S. Wal-
ton Road, Island City. Officers responded and
found the occupant was taking a nap.
11:42 a.m. — A caller on the 10300 block
of South Valley Avenue, La Grande, reported
a restraining order violation. A Union County
sheriff’s deputy responded.
11:57 a.m. — Local law enforcement and
other emergency services responded to Fruit-
dale Lane and Mount Glen Road, La Grande,
for a two-vehicle accident involving injuries.
3:31 p.m. — A caller reported animal
neglect on the 1800 block of Washington Ave-
nue, La Grande.
3:42 p.m. — La Grande police conducted
a welfare check at a residence on the 2100
block of Cove Avenue and requested an
ambulance.
5:30 p.m. — La Grande police received a
report of a restraining order violation on the
2100 block of Adams Avenue. An officer made
contact and took information.
7:15 p.m. — A Union County sheriff’s dep-
uty responded to Integrity Automotive, 10301
E. First St., Island City, on a report of harass-
ment and counseled both parties.
TUESDAY, FEB. 1
12:06 a.m. — A caller reported a vehicle
at Washington Avenue and Hemlock Street,
La Grande, hit another vehicle and the driver
kept going. Officers responded and arrested
Caleb Austin Walker, 19, of La Grande, for driv-
ing under the influence of intoxicants and
hit-and-run.
8:03 a.m. — A caller on the 1100 block of
Alder Street, Elgin, reported a restraining order
violation. A Union County sheriff’s deputy
made contact and discussed options.
12:55 p.m. — A caller reported animal
neglect on the 76400 block of Palmer Junction
Road, Elgin.
4:30 p.m. — Union County sheriff’s depu-
ties responded to the intersection of South
Walton Road and Island Avenue at Walmart
for a multi-vehicle accident. Tow trucks
Feast on ‘Ground Hog’ in Union on Feb. 5
Cardboard
cutouts decorate
Gobbler’s Knob
for Groundhog
Day in 2021, in
Punxsutawney,
Pennsylvania. The
2021 event was
held without any-
one in attendance
due to potential
COVID-19 risks.
The Observer
UNION — The Vet-
eran of Foreign Wars
High Valley Post 4060 has
caught the “pesky Ground
Hog,” according to an
announcement from the
post.
The news means the
group will be putting on
its famous annual Ground
Hog Breakfast at the VFW
hall in Union.
The breakfast will be
served on Saturday, Feb.
5, beginning at 8 a.m. and
ending at 11 a.m. (earlier,
if the Ground Hog runs
out). Tickets are $9 for
adults and $6 for students.
On the menu is Ground
Hog with gravy and bis-
cuits, plus coffee, tea, juice
or milk.
barry reeger/Associated Press, File
Scholarships, potatoes and peace poles
Rotary Club of
Wallowa County
had a busy year
took vehicles, and the sheriff’s office took a
report.
6:12 p.m. — La Grande police responded to
a vehicle pileup on the 2000 block of Q Avenue
and took a report.
9:41 p.m. — A resident on the 1900 block
of H Avenue, La Grande, reported loud music
was coming from another apartment. An offi-
cer responded and gave a warning about the
city’s noise ordinance. The occupant said she
would keep it down.
10:44 p.m. — La Grande police responded
to the 1500 block of 21st Street on a report
of a loud disturbance. Police gave a warning
for disorderly conduct and citation for a traf-
fic violation.
DEATH NOTICES
Dorothy ‘Jean’ Dillon
Island City
Dorothy “Jean” Dillon, 96, of Island City, died Jan.
31, 2022, at her home. Arrangements are by
Daniels-Knopp Funeral, Cremation & Life Celebration
Center, La Grande.
Ty Hallgarth
Elgin
Ty Hallgarth, 53, of Elgin, died Jan. 31, 2022, at St.
Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, Boise. Arrange-
ments are by Loveland Funeral Chapel & Crematory,
La Grande.
Della G. Heutzenroeder
La Grande
Della G. Heutzenroeder, 90, of La Grande, died
Feb. 2, 2022, at Grande Ronde Hospital. Arrange-
ments are by Loveland Funeral Chapel & Crematory,
La Grande.
Nellie J. Hughes
La Grande
Wallowa County Chieftain
ENTERPRISE —
Scholarships, potatoes,
coats and peace poles are
all a part of the picture as
the Rotary Club of Wal-
lowa County looks back on
the service activities it per-
formed in 2021.
The club’s projects
served Wallowa County,
but they also spread
around the world, to
Uganda, El Salvador and
Mexico.
Due to the COVID-19
pandemic, club members
made some adjustments
to the Lostine River Run,
held on the Fourth of July
each year, with proceeds
supporting local high
school scholarships. More
than $9,000 was handed
out in 2021.
The local Food Drive
Challenge between the
Rotary Club and the
Soroptimist Club collected
money for the food bank at
Community Connection.
This friendly compe-
tition is repeated yearly
by the two service clubs,
and has been going strong
since 2008. This year, the
Soroptimist Club came out
on top, raising more than
$3,000. With additional
matching by Community
Bank, the total given was
$6,936.
Rotary also collected
potatoes for the food bank
in the Great Potato Drive
conducted in November
and December. After pur-
chasing more than 155
pounds of potatoes from
Patrick Theil at Prairie
Creek Farms, Rotary mem-
bers sold bags of potatoes
and carrots to commu-
nity members and contrib-
uted vegetables to the food
bank. This was another
fundraiser for scholar-
ships, as the money gained
Nellie J. Hughes, 92, of La Grande, died Feb. 2,
2022, at her residence. Arrangements are by Loveland
Funeral Chapel & Crematory, La Grande.
Steven Seneca
Union
Steven Seneca, 66, of Union, died Feb. 2, 2022, at
his residence. Arrangements are by Loveland Funeral
Chapel & Crematory, La Grande.
Arlan W. Taal
La Grande
Arlan W. Taal, 85, of La Grande, died Feb. 1, 2022,
at a local care facility. Arrangements are by Loveland
Funeral Chapel & Crematory, La Grande.
Terrance ‘Terry’ Watson
North Powder
Terrance “Terry” Watson, 83, of North Powder,
died Jan. 29, 2022, at St. Alphonsus Regional Med-
ical Center, Baker City. Arrangements are by Tami’s
Pine Valley Funeral Home and Cremation Services,
Halfway.
Marilyn dalton/Contributed Photo
Head Start children show the new winter coats they received through the Rotary Club of Wallowa
County’s Coats for Kids project.
from the sales will be used
to help this year’s grad-
uating Wallowa County
high school seniors in their
second year of study at
college.
Rotary’s Coats for
Kids project and Building
Healthy Families again
gave out 50 new warm
coats to local children.
Children’s new winter
coats are still available by
calling Building Healthy
Families at 541-426-9411.
A new program Rotary
started this year is to
install two Peace Poles
in the county, as part of
Rotary International’s
focus on world peace.
The poles have been
acquired from Jim Zacha-
rias and are being carved
by Steve Arment. They
should be completed some-
time this year, and will be
COMMUNITY
BULLETIN BOARD
MEETINGS
• LA GRANDE — The
following city commissions
will hold their monthly
meetings in February. All
meetings begin at 5:30 p.m.
and will be held online,
via Zoom. The Commu-
nity Landscape and For-
estry Commission meets
on Tuesday, Feb. 8. This
month’s meeting of the La
Grande Arts Commission
takes place on Wednesday,
Feb. 9, and the Parks and
Recreation Advisory Com-
mission meets on Thursday,
Feb. 10.
Answers to questions
and meeting links are avail-
able from Stu Spence, Parks
and Recreation director, at
541-962-1348 or sspence@
cityoflagrande.org.
• LA GRANDE — The
city of La Grande’s Urban
Renewal Advisory Com-
mission will meet for a reg-
ular session on Wednesday,
Feb. 9. The 2 p.m. meeting
will be virtual, via Zoom.
On the agenda under new
business is electing a new
chair and vice chair and a
discussion of proposed revi-
sions to the Call for Proj-
ects Grant Policy for rec-
ommendation to the Urban
Renewal Agency.
Find more news online at lagrandobserver.com
installed at locations still
to be determined.
As part of the local
club’s focus on interna-
tional projects, Seth Kinzie
of Joseph was granted a
Rotary Peace Fellowship
and spent several months
in Uganda studying with
peace fellows from several
African countries. With
Rotary’s support he will
be returning to Africa to
conduct research in several
countries.
The Rotary Club of
Wallowa County continues
to support tuition scholar-
ships for 10 girls in an El
Salvador high school.
The local member-
ship also celebrated 100%
participation, with an
average donation of $100
per member in the global
Rotary International Foun-
dation projects aimed at
promoting peace; erad-
icating polio; providing
clean water, sanitation
and hygiene; supporting
mothers and children;
supporting education;
growing local econo-
mies; and protecting the
environment.
The Rotary Club of
Wallowa County was
founded in 1986. Cur-
rently about 30 members
meet weekly for lunch and
a short program to help
members understand what
is happening in the com-
munity and where oppor-
tunities for service projects
might exist. Meetings are
at the Odd Fellows Hall in
Enterprise, on the second
floor.
For more informa-
tion about Rotary, contact
Anette Christoffersen at
541-398-1148.
Phyllis M. (Bowman) Murphy
February 18, 1935 – January 25, 2022
Phyllis Marie Murphy, 86, of
Island City, passed away peace-
fully on Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2022,
at her home, with her son by her
side. At her request, there will
not be a service.
Phyllis was born on Feb-
ruary 18, 1935 in Culburtson,
Nebraska to Levi Sr. and Ruby
(Wilson) Bowman. She resided
in North Platte, NE; Pendleton,
OR; Enterprise, OR; Athena,
OR; and La Grande, OR. She attended schools in Pend-
leton, OR. In 1952, she married Ray Murphy. Phyllis
worked as a bookkeeper for Ray Murphy & Sons Log-
ging. She attended Mountain Life Church regularly. She
loved taking care of her grandchildren and great-grand-
children. She was an avid football fan and her favorite
team was the Dallas Cowboys.
Phyllis is survived by her sons, Jay Murphy of La
Grande, Oregon, and Howard Murphy (Becky) of
Umatilla, Oregon; daughter, Marilyn Fleshman (Ran-
dy) of Scio, Oregon; three grandchildren; and four
great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her
husband, Ray Murphy.
UPCOMING
LOCAL
SERVICES
Feb. 4 — CECILIA CAMPBELL: 10 a.m. Mass
of Christian Burial, Our Lady of the Valley Catholic
Church, La Grande.
Feb. 4 — DONNA BROWN: noon celebration of
life, Daniels-Knopp Funeral, Cremation & Life Cele-
bration Center, La Grande; graveside service follows at
2 p.m. at Hillcrest East Cemetery.
Feb. 5 — ROSE MARIE REESE: 1 p.m. grave-
side service, Cove Cemetery.
Please follow guidelines regarding face coverings
and social distancing at gatherings. Calendar courtesy
of Loveland Funeral Chapel.
Garret Wayne Crawford
January 5, 1954 - January 25, 2022
Garret Wayne Crawford, 68, of
La Grande, passed away on Tues-
day, Jan. 25, 2022, at his home. At
his request there will not be a ser-
vice.
Garret was born on Jan. 5, 1954,
in Spokane, Washington, to George
and Beulah (Drader) Crawford. He
graduated from North Bend Senior
High School. He earned five asso-
ciate’s degrees in Forestry Management, from Spokane
Community College, and was honorably discharged
from the Navy.
Garret worked as a forestry technician before his
retirement. He was a member of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. He enjoyed fishing, hunting
and gardening.
Garret is survived by his daughters, Amy (Steven)
Oaks of Coos Bay, Oregon, and Jolene Blackburn of
Holyoke, Massachusetts; son, Timothy Gallagher of
Scranton, Kansas; siblings, Athella (Robert) Hud-
dleston of Altas, Oklahoma, Brent Crawford of Lorain,
Ohio, and Frances Crawford (Donna Davies) of Coos
Bay, Oregon; grandchildren, Ashley Labrousse, Bro-
dy Smith, Bryan Oaks, Justin Oaks, Garret Blackburn,
Corrina Blackburn, Timothy Gallagher and Genevieve
Gallagher; nephew, Boyde Crawford; and niece, Dar-
nelle Spain. He was preceded in death by his parents,
George and Beulah Crawford, and sister, Letha Mae
Crawford.
Online condolences may be made to the family at
www.lovelandfuneralchapel.com.